Caging the Beast
by purplefern
Summary: Now that Charles was off of his serum addiction, there aren't anymore problems with it, right? However, there is still one other that's reliant on it... A conversation that I felt needed to happen some time after DoFP. One-shot


_To celebrate Easter, and consequently Lent finally being over and me being able to go on fanfiction again, I'm posting a new little one-shot for Days of Future Past. Probably something completely OOC since I've only seen the movie twice, and with a lot of headcanon (slightly borrowed from X-men: Evolution) about Hank/Beast. But, come on, so much time is spent on helping Charles with his serum problem, and Hank's just there in the backround doing nearly the same thing and no one really cares. So, enough from me, enjoy the story. _

* * *

Charles looked on awkwardly from the doorway as he watched a blue-tinged Hank inject himself once again with his mutation-suppressing serum. It was a few weeks after the future-saving fiasco, and Charles was starting to worry about Hank. He seemed like he was so dependent on the serum. True, he wasn't taking larger doses of it like Charles had when he became addicted to it, but all the same, Charles couldn't help but feel that Hank was running from his mutation the same way that he had been running from the voices. Logan had helped him get off the serum, now it was time for him to help Hank.

Xavier rolled his chair into the room just as Hank was setting the empty syringe on the table, sighing heavily. Clearly his throat lightlyto get the now-human Hank's attention, Charles started gently, "Hank…"

He turned, rubbing an eye behind his glasses, replying, "Oh, Charles, did you need something?"

Scooting a little closer, Charles looked up at Hank, replying, "No, Hank. I was actually hoping to do something for you".

"Oh, really? But I didn't ask for…"

"No, I know you didn't, and., to be honest, you may not even like what it is I want to help you with".

Now suspicious, Hank looked at him, alert, "Charles…" he said in a warning tone.

"It's just, Hank, you know, I've been off the serum for a while now"

"Charles, I don't like where this is going" interjected Hank.

"It's just that…maybe it's time that you got off of it as well".

Hank pursed his lips at this suggestion, all at one instant terrified and angry at the idea. "You _know _why I can't".

"yes, but…"

"There's no way I can stand being that _thing _all the time". As he went on, he became visibly more distressed, staring intently at the floor as his mind waged war against the idea of getting off of the serum. "It's hard enough _with _the serum. You have no idea what it's like".

Charles sighed, wondering to himself if _he _had acted like this, and vaguely thinking that it was a miracle that anyone ever got him off of it. Finally, he replied, "No, Hank, I can't say that I do. I may not be able to walk, but in the grand scheme of things that's rather normal, isn't it?"

Hank nodded, but before he could say anything, Charles continued, "However, if we're going to re-open the school"

Hank looked up in surprise from where he'd been observing the floor. Glad to have his attention, Xavier repeated "If we're going to re-open this school, we need to have teachers that believe in what we're teaching. Not a couple of mutants who are scared of what they are, and are desperately trying to fit in".

Hank saw what he meant, but still replied weakly, "That's not it, Charles. Well, not the only thing. It's not just about society accepting me, it's about _me _trying to accept me." He sighed deeply and shut his eyes tight before he finally, as if he was getting a huge weight off of his chest, said, "When I'm…Beast, I-I'm volatile, to put it mild. Don't you remember how I nearly choked Er- Magneto- just for some small remark?" He paused, and Charles said nothing, hoping not to scare him out of opening up to him. Ever since his advanced mutation, Hank had said very little about himself, and certainly nothing about his feelings. Charles could be patient, so he merely watched silently as Hank rubbed his face and regained his composure. " I- I can just _hear _it, Charles, like you hear voices. Instinct; hunter's instinct. The Beast. It's always there, at least until right after I take the serum. It's just… it drives me _crazy_. Even now, even when I'm on the serum, it's still there. Right now, as we speak he's there, and he's incredibly ticked off. _That's _what I'm trying to get rid of, not my appearance. Though that is an added bonus".

Charles stared at him steadily, first in surprise and then in thoughtful concern. After a pause, he finally decided to speak up, "Hank, I had no idea. And, you're right, I don't understand. But…I could. If you'll allow me? Maybe there is something I could do to suppress the beast for you, so that you no longer have to rely on the serum".

Considering this prospect, Hank slowly nodded, giving the telepath permission to enter his head and seek out the beast. Charles rolled up to Hank, and put a hand on the side of his face, breathing deep as he prepared to plunge into his mind.

At first there was just Hank, irritated and anxious and hopeful, but Xavier pushed past that to the other presence deep in the mind. It was faint, at first, it just felt like a sugar rush, but as he got nearer and nearer to the feeling it intensified, wanting to run and chase. Charles was taken aback by the wild feeling for a moment, and then he heard it. A distant growling, coming from the very back of the mind. He moved towards it, only to bump into a mental wall, the likes of which he had rarely ever seen, probably a result of the mutation-repressing serum.

The growling increased, mixed with snarls and roars now. _Hank is right, this thing certainly _is _ticked off _though Charles to himself as he attempted to peer through the mental wall. Beast continued to rage against the mental wall confining it and blocking it from the world. Charles had seen enough, and left the mind of the anxious Hank and the raging beast.

Blinking his way back into reality, Charles looked at Hank, thinking about what he had seen in his mind.

"What did you see?" asked Hank (nearly desperate).

Charles shook his head slowly, taking his time before responding to Hank gravely. "I saw a problem".

"Exactly, so you get it, right? You can see why I need to block _that _from my head".

"No, Hank, that's not it. You are causing a major division in your own mind. As you continue this serum of yours, the beast gets wilder and wilder the more he's contained. Hank, I'm afraid that your suppressing this is only making it worse".

"Then get rid of it, Charles, please!" shouted Hank, begging. "I can't live with this wild animal inside of me any longer!"

"I'm afraid I can't. This beast is a part of you, Hank. And your serum has put up a mental wall as strong as any I could make".

Forcing a calm composure Hank took a deep breath before addressing Xavier. "Look, I know you think you mean well, but I can't not take the serum. You've seen the beast, you've seen how wild, how destructive it is. If I give it any free reign at all, who knows what it'll do?"

"But the serum is only making it more wild. If you keep doing this you'll never be able to control it out of your own will. Whenever it gets ahold it will get more destructive and more uncontrollable". Charles suddenly halted in his lecture, before calming himself down and trying diplomacy. "I understand why you want to suppress this. Stay on the serum if you really like, but please, for your own good and the good of others, let the beast out every now and again. A release, like a pressure-control valve, alright?"

"Fine, I can do that. As long as you promise to drop the matter".

"Agreed. But, Hank"

He looked at him sharply, a warning glare that this conversation was done.

"This won't work forever, you know. Someday you'll just have to accept that this is a part of you".

"Yeah, well, that's a problem for another day".

* * *

_So that's it for this one-shot, though more X-men stuff is probably yet to come from me. R&amp;R, please. _


End file.
